cannabisnews.com: Test for Ability, Not for Drug Use Test for Ability, Not for Drug Use Posted by FoM on December 20, 2000 at 08:18:43 PT By Thom Marshall Source: Houston Chronicle Someone made a mistake on the machine delivering the air mixture to David Atkinson of Kemah, 260 feet below, quickly ending his career as a deep-sea diver and almost ending his life. Atkinson, 40, managed to make it back to the surface and, after spending a couple of hours in the decompression chamber, thought he was going to be OK. But he had sucked down too much water, he said, and within a couple of weeks developed respiratory problems that prohibit his working again as a diver. If he hadn't made it back up, he said, everyone involved in the operation on that offshore oil rig would have been tested for drugs. Since he had, however, and since he thought at the time he was going to be OK, no testing was done. Still, Atkinson believes the incident occurred "because people I counted on were stoned." Evidence of Use Lingers:He said there are many jobs and activities that people are not legally permitted to perform if under the influence of alcohol or any other substance that can impair judgment or performance. Atkinson fears that if it becomes legal to use marijuana, it will render invalid the testing methods currently used. That is because, unlike alcohol, evidence of marijuana lingers in the system long after its effect has worn off, so if a person tests positive after an accident, he said, "There is no way to know if it was used on the weekend `on my own time' or shortly before." Marijuana often is taken onto offshore rigs by those who work there, Atkinson said, and he said he knows of people who died "because of marijuana use on the job. I know alcohol kills also, but it's not as easily carried or concealed in many situations." He said he smoked marijuana in high school and has many friends who smoke it now. "Find a way to keep it off the job, and I'm all for recreational use," he said. I forwarded Atkinson's e-mail to Dr. Lester Grinspoon in the department of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School. He has been studying cannabis since 1967 and has written several books about marijuana and other drugs. On his Web site: http://www.marijuana-uses.com/ Grinspoon identifies himself as among "the more than 70 million Americans who have used cannabis -- and possibly among the more than 10 million who use it regularly." Grinspoon said there is no foolproof method to detect incompetence to drive an automobile or operate other machinery. He said future drugs will pose similar problems to marijuana in that a person may test positive long after the drug exerts any influence on abilities to operate equipment. The Technology is Available:"It seems to me that the only sensible approach is to develop a system that prevents the operator from turning on the particular machine if he fails a `capacity to operate' test," Grinspoon said. "This would mean fitting every automobile and complex machine with a computer-generated battery of simple, quick tests of reflexes and cognition. "Failure of this test would indicate impairment that would make it impossible to arm the ignition. The impairment might be the result of alcohol, another drug or Alzheimer's disease. In any event, the impaired operator would not be able to start his machine. It is now technologically possible to develop such ignition links." I also contacted Mark Greer, executive director of the California-based organization DrugSense: http://www.drugsense.org/ "a nonprofit drug-policy information resource." Greer said that rather than drug testing of individuals, he "would much rather see a method of impairment analysis developed to determine competency to operate machinery or provide public transportation, for example. This would also identify people who are tired, upset, ill or otherwise unable to work safely." He cited studies that "suggested that cannabis users are more cautious than individuals who have consumed nothing and are significantly safer than those who have consumed alcohol." Existing drug laws did not prevent Atkinson's mishap, Greer said, and in fact those laws created a black market that cannot be controlled or regulated. His organization "neither endorses or condones drug use, especially on the job," he said, adding: "The best ways to reduce potential harms associated with drug use are public education and a legal market, which can implement sensible regulation." Thom Marshall's e-mail address is: thom.marshall chron.comSource: Houston Chronicle (TX)Author: Thom MarshallPublished: December 20, 2000Copyright: 2000 Houston ChronicleAddress: Viewpoints Editor, P.O. Box 4260 Houston, Texas 77210-4260Fax: (713) 220-3575Contact: viewpoints chron.comWebsite: http://www.chron.com/Forum: http://www.chron.com/content/hcitalk/index.htmlRelated Articles By Thom MarshallWill Compassion Be Part of Future? http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread8032.shtmlNew Perspective on Prohibition http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread8008.shtmlDrug War Is Much Like Prohibition http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread7989.shtmlCannabisNews Articles - Thom Marshallhttp://cannabisnews.com/thcgi/search.pl?K=Thom+Marshall END SNIP --> Snipped Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help Comment #7 posted by Dan Hillman on December 21, 2000 at 11:40:33 PT Pure conjecture. > Still, Atkinson believes the incident occurred "because people I counted on were stoned." Well, I believe that Antonin Scalia found for Bush because his jockstrap was too tight. I will be happy to speak with Thom Marshall for a Houston Chronicle exclusive. [ Post Comment ] Comment #6 posted by cajun01 on December 21, 2000 at 07:04:06 PT Thanks Thanks to Thom Marshall for his series on the absurdities of the drug war. Finally a senior newspaper editor in one of the largest public newspapers in the country that is not afraid to speak the truth and ignore the antis. He has written several exceptional pieces. [ Post Comment ] Comment #5 posted by dddd on December 21, 2000 at 04:19:57 PT tests I like the concept Mr Greer;" impairment analysis developed to determine competency to operate machinery or provide public transportation, for example. This would also identify people who are tired, upset, ill or otherwise unable to work safely." or Mr Grinspoons';"fitting every automobile and complex machine with a computer-generated battery of simple, quick tests of reflexes and cognition." These are both good solutions,but I'm afraid there would be an outcry from people who were naturally too stupid to pass the tests....but maybe that would be good too?......................dddd [ Post Comment ] Comment #4 posted by CAn't get it on December 20, 2000 at 18:15:15 PT Very interesting "Failure of this test would indicate impairment that would make it impossible to arm the ignition. The impairment might be the result of alcohol, another drug or Alzheimer's disease. In any event, the impaired operator would not be able to start his machine. It is now technologically possible to develop such ignition links." Lemmie get this straightYou are trying to tell me, with a straight face, that all those stoned guys I hung out with in video arcades couldn't pass a simple coordination test? Only if they drink. Oh and has anyone read any articles on the history of cannabis use with reference to genetics? I have a theory that I call the lemming theory. Nobody can see the future but everyone can see their past. If you could look down your family chain the chances are that a high percentage of your anstery used cannabis. I wouldn't be suprised if the number was over 60 percent. Why wouldn't that make cannabis use for some people a genetic trait. Like an itch that has to be scratched sometime. [ Post Comment ] Comment #3 posted by nl5x on December 20, 2000 at 17:31:03 PT Drug Testing Drug TestingThere are many other drugs for which no testing is done, notably alcohol and a variety of prescription drugs, many of which can have very negative impact on performance. In the case of prescription drugs, the Americans With Disabilities Act or other legislation may protect the employee. This may be entirely just, but it does not alter the fact that the employee may not be functioning well.http://216.9.192.67/marijuananews/cowan/why_drug.htm [ Post Comment ] Comment #2 posted by TroutMask on December 20, 2000 at 12:24:33 PT The effect of drug testing... In today's Denver Post, there's a story about a military cadet and some of his "co-cadets" who were just busted using and distributing drugs. Here is the list of drugs they were busted for: LSD, cocaine, methamphetamine. These three drugs are certainly more dangerous than marijuana, so why was no marijuana found? DUH! Drug testing!!! The cadets used drugs that could not be detected after a few days, unlike marijuana which may be detected up to 30 days after use. I have a friend who was in the military and got random drug testing. He couldn't smoke marijuana, so he used and sold LSD instead. He sold large quantities of LSD to his comrades because none of them could smoke marijuana. THIS is the effect of drug testing: People will use more dangerous, "hard" drugs which are more difficult to detect instead of using the "soft" drug marijuana. Wonderful!!! [ Post Comment ] Comment #1 posted by Dan B on December 20, 2000 at 11:13:24 PT: Validity "Atkinson fears that if it becomes legal to use marijuana, it will render invalid the testing methods currently used. "Fool! Whether it is legal or not does not change the validity of the testing methods. The testing methods are invalid regardless of whether marijuana is legal or not.But I like the responses given by Dr. Les Grinspoon and Mark Greer, both of whom I respect a great deal.Dan B [ Post Comment ] Post Comment Name: Optional Password: E-Mail: Subject: Comment: [Please refrain from using profanity in your message] Link URL: Link Title: